Bihar polls: Cong wants BJP to part ways with JDU as party fields shelter home accused

As poll season begins in Bihar with parties releasing first list of candidates, Congress on Thursday asked BJP to prevail on its alliance partner JD(U) in Bihar to cancel candidature of Manju Verma - one of accused in Muzaffarpur shelter home case. While Congress has declared that y will t give tickets to leers accused of sexual violence against women, BJP leer and Bihar's Deputy CM Sushil Modi attacked party after its ally RJD gave tickets to wives of rape accused. 

On Thursday, Mahila Congress president Sushmita Dev said that Manju Verma, after being named in Shelter home case, was removed as women and child development minister in Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar and expelled from party. However, she has again been fielded by JD(U), led by Kumar, in upcoming state polls starting October 28.

" BJP-JD(U) should cancel Verma's candidature and I hope that (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi, who consistently says 'beti bachao, beti phao', will walk talk and make sure that her candidature is cancelled," Dev told reporters. "If you are serious about women security, you should break this alliance with JD(U), unless y remove Verma and withdraw her candidature," she said. Dev also said prime minister should show his seriousness when it comes to crimes against women.

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Muzaffarpur shelter home case

In May 2018, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) submitted a report to Bihar government highlighting alleged sexual abuse of 30 mir girls in shelter home. Acting on it after coming under severe pressure, Bihar government shifted girls from shelter home to or protection homes and an FIR was lodged against 11 accused in case. case was transferred to CBI in 2018 after Supreme Court took cognizance of alleged mass rape in August 2018.

Meanwhile, CBI while probing case also recovered two skeletons from same shelter home. re are two cases, one regarding alleged murder of girls in shelter home in dition to case of alleged sexual assault. CBI has filed an interim report in Supreme Court stating y h found evidence in  allegations of murder, ding that girls who were believed to have been murdered were found to be alive, as per reports. 

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Bihar Assembly elections 2020

Bihar goes to polls in three phases for its 243 assembly seats on October 28, vember 3 and vember 7. Keeping in view COVID-19 protocol, voting time has been increased by one hour. counting of votes will take place on vember 10.

NDA has anunced its seat-sharing formula: BJP will contest 121 seats and JD(U) will contest 115, while Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM will contest 7 seats. VIP party will be incorporated in BJP's seats. Mahgathbandhan has anunced Tejashwi Yav as its CM face, and RJD-Congress has agreed on a 144-70 seat-sharing formula along with three or Communist parties contesting on 29 seats. re are three or alliances also that will contest elections this year namely Progressive Democratic Alliance (PDA) - JAP, ASP, SDP, and BMP,  United Democratic Secular Alliance (UDSA) - AIMIM-SJD and BSP-RLSP.

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In 2015 state polls, Mahagatbandhan comprising RJD, JD(U) and Congress won a whopping majority with 178 seats under leership of Nitish Kumar. On or hand,  BJP-led alliance won from only 58 constituencies. On July 26, 2017, Nitish Kumar stepped down as CM citing irreconcilable differences with RJD over corruption allegations against Tejashwi Yav and joined hands with its former ally BJP.

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